
by Abi on February 3, 2012 in Asia, Cool Photos, Photos, The Best Cultural Travel
Ouchijuku Village, Japan For some reason, these photos look calm. Yet in reality, a blizzard raged and the muted glow of the snow-plough’s headlights provided just enough light to let me capture this scene: fragile, snow-cloaked candles beneath an otherwise relentless black sky. Sleet assaulted our eyes, abraded our cheeks and hounded our cameras, while [...]

by Abi on January 18, 2012 in Art, Asia, Books, Tempt Me
From the moment I opened the parcel, I could tell it was going to be special. I’d expected a standard “how to cook book” but instead I discovered a dreamy journey to India, bound between hardback pages adorned with purple and gold. Tasting India by Christine Manfield is clearly a labour of love. With India, [...]

by Abi on January 8, 2012 in Asia, Inspire Me, The Best Cultural Travel, The Best of Inside the Travel Lab
Dust rose from the ground as the horse thundered past and the sun began its ablutions. It painted pinks and pomegranates, amber, pistachio, charcoal and soft apricot rust across the walls of Petra before calling it a day and turning in for an early night…

by Abi on December 6, 2011 in Asia, Europe, Global, Make Me Think, The Best Cultural Travel, The Best of Inside the Travel Lab
A man casts a glance over his shoulder before arching back and casting his line into the water. The street chatter and rush hour traffic drown out the subtle splash but from the look on his face, you’d think he stood alone in the countryside, miles from anyone, miles from anywhere.

by Abi on November 13, 2011 in Art, Asia, Dance, Featured, Inspire Me
Whenever I feel the cold breath of winter on my neck as autumn runs out of time, my tastebuds turn to octopus, the signature dish at…

by Abi on October 21, 2011 in Asia, Photos, Tempt Me
Close your eyes and feel the sticky weight of the sunshine, its humidity heavy on your skin while sonnets of spice and a chorus of cardamon compete with cloves, cumin and chopped coriander on the streets of Little India…

by Abi on September 19, 2011 in Asia, Tempt Me
Quite simply, good food is one of the best things in life, wherever you find it. And Malaysian street food ranks among the best of the best.

by Abi on September 14, 2011 in Asia, Make Me Smile, Photos
When I first caught the expression of this monkey, poised and watchful, I imagined to myself he might be wearing an expression of prayer, of solemnity, of reverance.
How wrong I was…

by Abi on August 19, 2011 in Asia, Inspire Me, Photos
Today is photo Friday and it’s also my last day in Malaysia. While the internet access has been scant, the experiences have been plentiful. And let’s face it, that’s the best way round for things to be. So, as I’m typing this out on an iPad at the speed of the snarling traffic in KL [...]

by Abi on July 27, 2011 in Art, Asia, Make Me Smile, Photos, Quiz
The latest in the series of fun quizzes about travel takes you into the jungle in Asia where a tree wraps its branches around a very special something…